The Age of the Imperial Guptas c9.80.4

c9.80.4

They contain figures of dwarfs of the Bhumra and Deogadh types.¹ The contents of such medallions in the Sarnath collection of free-standing *Caitya*-windows is varied, the most important among which are the types which contain figures of animals, not to be found in other schools except that of Benares. In certain cases we find Buddha, in others, figures of minor deities as at Bhumra, but in the majority of cases we find Kirttimukhas or lion’s heads. In one particular case the *caitya*-window being placed in an angle of a plinth-moulding its medallion is obscured and can hardly be seen. Here, the ingenuity of the artist is displayed by the representation of a portion of the lion’s face instead of the entire front. (D. i. 21.) In certain cases the front paws of the lion are also shown in addition. Many of the Sarnath medallions contain Buddhas in the *Bhūmisparśa mudrā*. In one case there is a four armed male holding a rosary, wheel, and a vase.² In certain cases, the medallion is a trefoil and contains the figure of a Buddha in the *Abhaya mudrā*. Many similar medallions contain a pair of pilasters with cruciform bracket capitals.³ In other cases there is a row of dentils, just below the *Caitya*-windows, shaped as grotesque lion’s heads.¹